Apparatus for loading grain-cars.



No. 634,!22 Patented Oct. 3, I899.

J. 'c. mmrosfl. APPARATUS FOR LOADING GRAIN BARS.

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N0. 634,!22. Patented Oct. 3, [899.

J. QIMNTOSH. APPARATUS FOR LOADING GRAIN CABS.

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,' distributor and causing the delivery-spout of Illinois, have inventeda new and useful U ITED.. STATES.

PATENT OFFIcE.

JOHN o. cINTosr oF GRAYMONT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR on ONE-HALF To- ALBE T MEIERHOFER,

on MINONK, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR LOADING GRAIN-CAR-S.

fSPECIFICATION' forming. part of Letters Patent No. 634,122, dated October 3, 1899.

Application and December 22, 1898.

T0 at whom it concern: 1

Be it known that I, J H C. MoINTosH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residingatGraymont, in the county 9f Livingston and State Apparatus for Loading Grain Oars, of which the following is a specification. p i 1;

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for handlinggrain for the purpose of transferring it frornJan elevator-building toa grain-car, and the primary purpose is to provide an apparatus of simple con'strution by which the grain may be thrown or distributed toward one or both ends of a car and elfcct the operation known as trimmingacar. A further object'of the invention is to provide an apparatus which may be adjusted to project its working elements wellintoa graincar. for the purpose of bringingthe distribu- 1 ter to a positionproper todeliver the grain,&

and saidworking elements may also be adjusted to withdraw themr-from the car pre vious to moving the apparatusto' anotherspout of the elevator-building or placing an paratus.

Further objects of the invention areto provide the loading apparatus with means byv which the rotary centrifugal distributer may be propelled positively ineach of its several adjusted positions, to provide a cut-off mechanisn1.for controlling-the delivery of grain in one or both directions from the rotary distributer, to provide means for adjusting the thereof to face in difieren't'directions toward the end of a car, and to provide a regulator mechanism for controlling the quantity of grain that flows to the revoluble distributer. With these ends in view the invention con-v sists in the novel combination of mechanisms and in the construction and arrangement of j parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed. To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is asectional plan view of a por- Serial in. 700,015. (No model.)

tion olfan elevator-building and a grain-car,

showing my loading apparatus in operative relation thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation through the structure represented by Fig, 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View taken through the loader apparatus disconnected from a building and a grain-car.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional vie'w through the distributor on the plane indicated by the dotted line a 4: of Fig. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through" the distributeron the line-5 50f Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective viewof one of the brackets by which the loader apparatus may be in part support- ,ed on an elevator-building.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

3 The loading apparatus of my invention is designed to span the space between an ele- Vator-building'and a grain-car, and this loading apparatus embraces as oneelement there ofa revoluble distributer which is designed to be supplied with grain from the elevatorbnilding and is driven positively by suitable gear connections with the line-shaft mounted on the elevator-building for the purpose of acting on the grain centrifugally to throw the grain toward one or both ends of aca'r. An

appara tus ot' this character should provide for-the adjustment of the distributor mech- Yanism into a car to bring said distributer mechanism-in a position proper for loading the grain into the ends of the car, and said distributor mechanism should also be retracted or Withdrawn from a car readily for, the purpose of bringing another car into position tofbe loaded or of conveniently adjusting the loader apparatus from one spout to-another of the elevator-building. The apparatus, which'I now proceed to describe, is especially designed to fulfil theconditions and to carry outthe objects hereinoefore enumerated.

, The base-frame 10 is of substantial light construction to carry the working elements of my loader apparatus, and thisframe is constructed to provide a; longitudinal track or way 11, which accommodates a slidable carrier-frame 12. This carrier-frame is superposed upon the base-frame, and it is confined by thetrack or way 11 and by the fixed guides 13 to endwise-slidable movementon the baseframe, whereby the carrier-frame maybe projected in one direction from the base-frame, or it may be drawn inwardly to lie within the limits of the base-frame. The guides 13 are fastened firmly to the base-frame and embrace the carrierframe to hold the latter against vertical displacement; but the particular construction of the guides is not important. The slidable carrier-frame is-provided with journal-bearings 14, which are arranged in alinement with each other longitudinally of said frame 12, and in these bearings is mounted a longitudinal driving-shaft 15, which is thus connected with the frame 12 to partake of its endwise adjustment and at the same time be free to rotate in its bearings for the propulsion of the rotary distributor.

The rotary distributor mechan isn is mou nted on the slidable carrier-frame 12, at or near one endthereof, and this distributer mechanism is thus made adjustable with the carrier-frame, so that on the projection of the latter beyond the base-frame the distributer mechanism may be positioned within a car for the purpose of throwing the grain toward one or both ends of the car. The distributer mechanism embraces a casing and a revoluble head provided with wings or blades, said head arranged to operate within the casing to which the grain is fed or supplied from one of the spouts of the elevator-building. The revoluble distrihuter-head is geared to the driving-shaft 15 to be rotated thereby, and as the distributer and the shaft 15 are mounted on the carrier-frame 12 for adjustment therewith the distributer may be driven by the shaft 15 at any point of its adj ustmentwithin a car. The casing of the distributer mechanism is fastened securely to a horizontal base-plate 16, preferablyof metal and provided with laterally-extended wings 17, which are out of line with each other. The casing 18 of the distributer may be made of sheet metal of substantially annular form and secured firmly to the base-platw 16, and this distributer-casing is formed with spouts 19 20, which extend from opposite sides of the easing outwardly therefrom and arranged out of line with each other, so as to lie over the Wings 17 of the base-plate 16. The wings form the bottoms of the spouts 19 20, and

these spouts face in opposite directions from the center of the distributer-casing. Said base-plate 16 and the distributor-casing are mounted or fitted on the carrier-frame 12 to assume a position transversely to the longitudinal axis of the carrier and base frames 12' 10, and as the loader apparatus stands in a position at right angles to the position of the car the distributer is adapted to assume a position when the carrier-frame is projected through the car-door in which the spouts 19 2O face toward opposite ends of the car. The shell of the distributor-casing 18 is extended upwardly a proper distance to provide a hopper 21, and within the distributor-casing 18 is secured a transverse horizontal plate 22, which constitutes the bottom to the hopperchamber. This horizontal plate 22 is secured firmly in place to the casing 18, and it is provided with wings 23, which fit in the spouts 19 20 in parallel relation to the wings 17 on the base-plate 16, whereby the spouts are formed by and between the wings 17 23 of the plates 16 22 and the extensions 19 20 of the distributer-casing. The plates 16 22 and the annular portion of the casing 18 provide a chamber within which is fitted a horizontal revoluble head 24, which is preferably in the form of a metallic disk arranged in compact relation to the base-plate 16. This revoluble head is provided on its upper side or face with a series of radial blades 25 which are secured firmly to said head and project upwardly therefrom, and this head is revoluble in the horizontal plane of the oppo-.

sitely-facing spouts 19 20 of the distributorcasing, whereby'the head is adapted to throw the grain by centrifugal action through one or both of the spouts 19 20, and'thereby impel the grain toward one or both ends of the car. The revoluble head 241s carried by-a vertical shaft 26, which is secured firmly to the head and passes loosely through an opening 27, provided centrally in the base-plate 16, said shaft being journaled at a point intermediate of its length in a journal-bearing 28, which is secured firmly to the carrierframe 12. The lower end of the vertical shaft which carries the revoluble head protrudes below the bearing 28 to receive a bevelgear pinion 29, which meshes with a drivinggear 30, which is fixed to one end of the horizontal shaft 15, and the intermeshing bevelgears are thus adapted to transmit the motion of the shaft 15 to the shaft 26 for the-purpose of rotating the head 24 at high speed to in-v sure the proper operation of said head in distributing the grain.

The horizontal upper plate 22 is provided with two or more ports or opening 31 32, which are disposed on opposite sides of the vertical axis of the distributer-casing, and these openings or ports establish communication between the hopper 21 and the chamber which contains the revoluble head 24. By locating the openings as described the grain is adapted to pass from the hopper and lodge upon the revoluble head at points outside of the vertical axis thereof, whereby the blades 25 of said revoluble head are caused to act on the grain and impel the latter through the casing-spouts 19 20. To regulate the quantity of grain which may pass from the hopper to the revoluble distributor, I provide the slides 33, which are fitted upon the upper plate 22 in position-s to move across the openings 31 32, and each slide is confined within a guideway 34 on the upper plate 22. It is evident that both slides may be adjusted to open or close the openings 31 32, or said slides may be partially adjusted over the openings in order to have the grain pass through the grain impelled by the distributer from V passing through both spouts at one operation the cut-offs 35 are placed in the spouts 19 20 out of the path of the revoluble distributor. Each cut-off is hinged or connected at 36 to the spout in a manner to drop 'orfold down compactly against the bottom wing-l7 there- Z of, and the spout cut-0d may be raised to an I I inclined position by-means of an adjustinglever 37, which is fitted in a slot 38 in the wing 17 and is fulcrumed at 39 to said wing. The upper working end of the adjusting-lever is beveled, so that when it is moved to one'position its beveled end will lie substan- 'tially flush with the edge of the slot 38 in the wing, 17 and allow the cut-0535 to drop or fall by gravity, thus opening the passage to the spout for the free egress of the grain. A i reversal injthe adjustment of the lever brings its beveled working end into contact with the movable cut-off to elevate the latter and close the passage through the spout, thus pre- '16, which rests upon the carrier-frame, and

in order to insure uniformity in the distribution of the grain from side to side of the car I have provided means for adjusting the distributer-casing,so that the horizontal axis of said casing may be changed to different angles with respect to the longitudinal axial line of the car, whereby the positions of the spouts 19 20 of the said distributer-casing may be changed to deliver the grain across the ends of the car, and thus secure uniformity in the distribution or trimming of the grain. This end is attained by fitting the base-plate 16 loosely on the vertical shaft 26, which carries the revoluble head, and by providing an ad justing device which is connected with the casing, so that it'may be shifted bodily to change the position of its spouts with reference to the axis of the car, the axis of adjustment of the distributer-casing being concentric wiihvthe axis of the shaft 26 and the head 24-, so that the revolub-le head may r0- tate freely within the casing at .all points of its adjustment. The adjusting-rod 40 is shown as attached to the base-plate 16, which is loosely fitted around the shaft 26, and this adjusting-rod extends longitudinally of the carrier-frame to bring its free end into positened the hinge'brackets 43.

tion convenientfor manipulation by an attendant and to enable said free end to be engaged with one. of a series of stop-pins 41 or other detent for the purpose of holding the casing to its adjusted position.

The base-frame 10 of my apparatus is designed to be supported at one end on an elevator-building in a position below and contiguous to the grain-spouts thereof, and as one means Ifor supporting this frame on the buildingIhaveprovided a seriesof hingebrackets constructed in sections and fastened, respectively,'to the base-frame 10 and a wall of the elevator-building 45. The end of the base-frame 10 which is next to the elevatorj building has short vertical posts 42, secured firmlythereto, and to these posts are fas- A series. of hinge'rbracket's 44 are fastened to the elevator-building 45 in the same horizontal plane and contiguous to the spouts thereof, and the brackets 44 are spaced in pairs on the elevator-building to correspond to the spacing of the brackets 43 on the loader-frame. The loader-frame may be adjusted to bring its pairof brackets 43 coincident with either of the pairs of brackets 44 on the building, and said brackets may be connected detaehably together by the removable hinge-bolts46, which pass vertically through the coincident brackets 43 ate to detachably fasten the loaderframe on the building. This loader-frame may be detachedfrom one pair of brackets 44, which lie adjacent to one spout, and shifted to another pair of brackets adjacent to another spout of the elevator-building, thus providing for adjustment of the loader bo'dily'frorn one spout to another. For the purpose of swinging the loader mechanism out of thepath of the car one of the hingebolts 46 may be removed, while the other hinge-bolt remains in place to pivotally attach the loader at one corner to thebuilding, and the loader mechanism may thus be swung in a horizontal plane to a position alongside of the elevator-building.

' For the purpose of propelling the drivingshaft 15 at all points of adjustment of the loader adjustment of the building and in operative relation to each of the spouts therein I provide a line-shaft 457, which is journaled insuitable bearings in the building 45 and is adapted to be rotated by mechanism within the elevator-buildingas, for instance,by one of the elevators thereof. This line-shaft is equipped with a series of gear element-s48,

which are adapted to be connected by gearing, as 49, to the shaft 15, and thusthe shaft maybe driven from the line-shaft when the loader mechanism is in proper position within a car. The car 50 may be of any ordinary pattern, and in Figs. 1 and 2 it is shown as having a door 51 in one side thereof.

The operation may be described as follows:

adjusted on the building adjacent to one of IIO The car to be loaded having been run alongside of the building the loader mechanism is the spouts and opposite to the door 51 in the car. The loader-frame 10 is supported by the brackets on. the building, and the carrierframe 12 is projected through the car-door 51, so as to adjust the distributer to a substantially central position within the car and for its spouts 19 or 20 to'face in opposite directions toward the ends of the car. The gearing 48 is now adjusted to connect theshaft with the line-shaft 17, and a spout or other conduit 53 is led from one of the elevator-spoil ts to the hopper 21 of the distributer. The rotary distributer is propelled by the train of gearing "between its shaft 26 and the line-shaft and the grain is conveyed from the elevator-spout to the hopper. One or both of the slides 33 are adjusted to expose the openings 31 32, and the grain passes from the hopper to these open-- ings to lodge upon the revolu'ble head 24:, the blades of which throw the grain by centrifugal force through the spouts 19 toward the ends of the car. It is evident that one of the slides 33 may be adjusted to close one port or opening and that one cut-off 35 may be raised to close one spout, thus forcing the grain to i one end of the car. For the purpose of distributingthe grain uniformly to either orboth ends of the car, and thereby trim the car, the

times it is evident that the grain thrown by the rotary distributer may be distrib uted from side to side of the car, thus insuring uniform loading of the car at both ends thereof. The loader mechanism may be removed bodily from one elevator-spout to another by taking out the hinge-bolts 46,changing the position of the loader-frame, and replacing the bolts, or the loader-frame may be swung on one bolt as the pivot horizontally alongside of the building. To remove the loader from the car, the carrier-frame 12 is moved endwise on the base-frame 10 in order to lie within the limits of the base-frame and bring the distributer to a position immediately over said base-frame. The distributer is thus withdrawn from the car for the purpose of compactly disposing the parts previous to shifting the position of the loader, and a filled car may be moved from a position opposite the loader to enable an empty car to be drawn into position to receive grain from the loader mechanism.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the loaderframe is shown as resting on a track or shelf 52, which preferably is screwed to the side of the elevator-building. This track extends horizontally below and parallel to the lineshaft for the inner part of the loader-frame to rest thereon, and said track relieves the hinge or attaching brackets from undue strain. The loader-frame is adapted to slide or travel on the track from one pair of brackets to the other. As the distributing mechanism'is mounted on the extensible part of the loader-frame, and as the driving-shaft 15 for the distributer must remain in gear with the shaft 26 and the line-shaft, I make the shaft 1.5 extensible or telescopic at 15 and 15 for the purpose of lengtheningor shortening the same according as the slidable or extensible frame is moved outward from or inwardly toward the line-shaft. Of course the parts of the telescopic shaft should be keyed or so fitted togetherv as to enable them to rotate together and permit the slidable movement.

Changes may be made in the form and proportion of some of the parts, while their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention embodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

What I claim is 1. In a grain-loader, the combination with a'line-shaft, of a carrying-frame, means for supporting said frame in shiftable relation to said shaft to occupy different positions along the length thereof, a distributer mechanism on said frame, a shaft supported by the frame and geared to the line-shaft and to amovable element of the distributer mechanism, and means for supplying grain to said distributer mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a grain-loader, the combination with a line-shaft, of an extensible carrying-frame,

means for supporting one member of said frame in shiftable relation to said line-shaft, a distributer mechanism carried by the movable element of the extensible frame, and an extensible shaft mounted onsaidframe to be extensible therewith and for its members to be geared respectively to the line-shaft and to a movable element of the distributer mechanism, substantially as-described.

3. In a grain-loadeiythe combination with a line-shaft, of a carrying-frame, means for pivotally supporting said frame with relation to the line-shaft for the frame to be adjusted laterally, a distributer mechanism on said frame, and a shaft journaled on the frame and geared to the line-shaft and to an element of the distributer mechanism, substantially as described.

4. In a grain-loader, the combination of an adjustable carrier-frame, a shiftable casing mounted on said frame to be adj ustable therewith and provided with oppositely-facing spouts, a revoluble head within said casing, and means for shifting the position of the casing independently of the adjustment of the carrier-frame or the rotary motion of the head, substantially as described.

5. In a grain-loader, the combination with a supporting-frame, of a carrier-frame slidably fitted to the supporting-frame, a distributer mechanism mounted on one end of the carrier-frame to be adjustable therewith and "having a rotary head housed within the cas- 1ng,, a line-shaft, and an extensible shaft mounted on the respective frames and geared and comprising a rotaryheadand a shiftable casing, said casing being provided with oppositely-faoing valved spouts, means for positively driving the rotary head, andan adjusting device connected operatively with the dis- .tributer-casing for shifting the latter independently of the adjustment of the carrierframe or the rotary motion of the distributerhead, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus for handling grain, the combination of a casing provided with oppositely-facing spouts, a revoluble head within said casing, and independent cut-ofis in operative relation to the spout-s of said casing, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus for handling grain, the combination of a revoluble head, a casing inclosing said head and provided with oppositely-facing spouts, and independent cut-cits supported within said spouts and each controlled by an adjusting-lever, substantially as described.

9. In a grain-loader, the combination of a casing provided with the oppositely-facing spouts and with the spaced feed-ports in the head thereof, a hopper to supply the grain to said casing, independent cut-offs in the'spouts of the casing, and a revoluble head mounted within the casing to act on the grain delivered thereto by the feed-ports, substantially as described.

10. In an apparatus for handling grain, the combination of a casing provided with a hopper and with oppositely-facing spouts, an upper plate between a chamber of the casing and said hopper and said plate provided with spaced openings, independent slides mounted on the plate for adjustment across the openings therein, and a revoluble head supported within the casing, substantially as described.

11. In a grain-loader, the combination of a casing provided in its upper side or head with spaced feed-openings and having the laterally-extended spouts, the independent cutoft's in said spouts of the casin g, levers for adjusting the cut-offs, a distribnter-head revoluble within the casing below the feed-openings therein and provided with offstanding blades to act on the grain eentrifugally, and regulating-slides to traverse the feed-openings, substantially as described.

12. In an apparatus for handling grain, the combination with a supporting-frame and a carrier-frame fitted adjustably thereto, of a distributer mechanism mounted on the carrier-frame and comprising a shiftable casing, a revoluble head within said casing, a driving device for said head and mounted on the carrier-frame, and an adjusting device connected with the shiftable casing and adapted for engagement with the carrier-frame, said casing being shiftable independently of any adj uste ment of the carrier-frame or the rotary motion of the head, substantially as described.

13. In an apparatus for handling grain, the combination with a series of fixed brackets adjacent to spouts of an elevator-building, of a loader mechanism, brackets attached to said loader mechanism and shiftable therewith in operative relation to certain of the fixed brackets, and connecting-bolts detachably fitted to the loader-mechanism brackets and to certain of the series of fixed brackets, substantially as described.

14. In a grain-loader, the combination of a casin g provided with the delivery spouts which are extended from opposite sides thereof, a revoluble head housed within said casing, driving mechanism for positively rotate.

ing the head in a horizontal plane, and means for adjusting said casing, the casing and its spouts being shiftable in a horizontal plane relatively to the vertical axis of the distributor-head, substantially as described.

15. In a grain-loader, the combihation with aline-shaft, of a carrying-frame shiftable with relation to said shaft to occupy difierent positions along the length thereof, a distributorcasing pivotally mounted on said frame and movable therewith in its shiftable adj ustments, a feed-chute arranged to deliver to the distributing-easin g, a revoluble head within said casing, a shaft geared to the line-shaft and to said head, and means for shifting the distributer-casing for its discharge-spout to occupy different positions relatively to the axis of said frame, substantially as described.

JOHN C. MOINTOSH.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. ROBERTS, LOUIS A. STRETCH. 

